‘Persimmons, Snakes Save Man’ (1966)

Oil workers are generally in the news these days because they’ve lost their jobs in the Eagle Ford shale area amid falling oil prices.

However, on July 24, 1966, the Express reported that an oilfield worker was found by Webb County deputies in “rugged Texas brush country” more than 50 miles from his starting point after being lost for ten days.

He survived, as the headline says, on the wild persimmons he found and the rattlesnakes he killed. The man was armed with a rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition and carried an army pack — until they became too heavy to carry and he left them behind.

A Texas Ranger said “he left his car near Hwy. 44 intending to walk more than 10 miles to several oil rigs to look for a billfold he said he lost.” The Ranger also seemed puzzled why the worker didn’t just drive to the rigs given that he’d parked his car near an unlocked gate.

The oilfield worker lost about 18 pounds during his ordeal, but was said to be in good condition.